1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning apparatus for vehicles which can embody seven kinds of air-conditioning modes using only a single mode door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, air conditioning apparatuses for vehicles are parts which are installed in vehicles with an intent to cool or heat passenger compartments in the summer or winter, or to remove frost which is easily formed on windshields in the rain or in the winter so as to secure clear front and rear views for the driver. Such an air conditioning apparatus typically has both a heating function and a cooling function, and thus is able to cool or heat the passenger compartment of a vehicle or circulate air in the passenger compartment in such a way that outdoor or indoor air is selectively drawn into the air conditioning apparatus and then blown into the passenger compartment after it is heated or cooled.
According to the independent relationship among a blower unit, an evaporator unit and a heater core unit, air conditioning apparatuses are classified into a three piece type apparatus in which the above three units are provided independently from each other, a semi-center type apparatus in which the evaporator unit and the heater core unit are installed in an air conditioning casing and the blower unit is separately provided, and a center mounting type apparatus in which all three units are installed in the air conditioning casing. Recently, a left and right side independent type air conditioning apparatus was proposed, in which air having different temperatures is supplied to a driver seat and a passenger seat in the passenger compartment of a vehicle so as to individually cool or heat the driver seat and the passenger seat as necessary.
Air conditioning modes which can be embodied in vehicles are generally classified into seven kinds of modes according to the direction of air blown into the passenger compartment. These includes a main mode, a floor mode, a defrost mode, a main-floor mode, a main-defrost mode, a floor-defrost mode and a main-floor-defrost mode.
A representative example of a conventional air conditioning apparatus was proposed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2012-0018418 A. In this conventional air conditioning apparatus, a mode door is formed of a single thin film member which includes a first door part that opens and closes at least two vents, and a second door part that opens and closes one vent and is connected to the first door part by a bridge part. A receiving part is formed in an air conditioning casing. The receiving part extends a predetermined length along a direction in which the thin film member slides. An end of the thin film member is received in the receiving part. In this conventional air conditioning apparatus, it is not required to increase the overall size of the apparatus despite taking the operation of the thin film member into account. Further, the single mode door can open and close several vents. Particularly, the single thin film member having an improved structure is used as the mode door. Hence, the overall structure of the mode door is simple so that the number of elements, the weight and the production cost can be reduced, while the durability of the apparatus is enhanced. In addition, the use of the single thin film member makes it possible to prevent occurrences of odor attributable to mold, and the single thin film member can be reused (recycled).
However, the mode door of this conventional technique is able to control only five kinds of air conditioning modes and requires a separate door to control the remaining two kinds of conditioning modes.
Given this, an air conditioning apparatus for vehicles is required in which a mode door and an air conditioning housing are designed such that all seven kinds of modes can be embodied by a single mode door.